Inpatient stay · MS-DRG 551
Medical back problems with MCC
In 2024, Medicare and patients paid an average of $16,215 per stay at 465 hospitals. Half of hospitals averaged between $12,790 and $17,674.
National figures, 2024
- Average payment per case
- $16,215
- Typical range (middle half of hospitals)
- $12,790–$17,674
- Medicare’s share
- $13,310
- Average billed charge
- $86,481
- Hospitals reporting
- 465
Hospitals in California
Narrow by a state, city or ZIP code (optionally a distance around it), and/or pick specific hospitals. With both, your picks are added to the area’s hospitals.
- Average payment across these 50 hospitals
- $20,804
- Median hospital
- $17,727
- Lowest to highest
- $14,034–$41,325
- Medicare stays
- 867
50 hospitals reported at least 11 Medicare stays for this in 2024. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIH Health Hospital-Whittier | 12 | $14,034 | 13% below the national average | $12,822 | $83,046 |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital - Encinitas | 15 | $14,575 | 10% below the national average | $13,250 | $61,309 |
| Saint John's Health Center | 11 | $15,312 | About average | $13,316 | $69,509 |
| Enloe Health | 26 | $15,427 | About average | $14,109 | $104,914 |
| Torrance Memorial Medical Center | 23 | $15,516 | About average | $14,098 | $131,886 |
| Providence Mission Hospital | 20 | $15,761 | About average | $14,293 | $91,175 |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center | 11 | $15,782 | About average | $14,467 | $139,816 |
| Huntington Hospital | 21 | $16,116 | About average | $14,964 | $112,764 |
| Oroville Hospital | 17 | $16,120 | About average | $14,968 | $43,978 |
| Foothill Regional Medical Center | 11 | $16,392 | About average | $15,427 | $84,266 |
| Memorial Medical Center | 12 | $16,575 | About average | $15,623 | $118,364 |
| Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital | 13 | $16,651 | About average | $15,539 | $82,525 |
| Providence Little Company Of Mary Medical Center Torrance | 20 | $16,682 | About average | $14,409 | $87,413 |
| Southwest Healthcare Rancho Springs Hospital | 13 | $16,745 | About average | $15,269 | $141,888 |
| Los Angeles Community Hospital | 22 | $16,800 | About average | $15,529 | $42,147 |
| Doctors Medical Center | 12 | $16,861 | About average | $15,289 | $354,893 |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center | 13 | $16,886 | About average | $13,804 | $74,028 |
| Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center | 26 | $16,901 | About average | $15,357 | $179,944 |
| Glendale Adventist Medical Center | 18 | $16,997 | About average | $15,585 | $97,349 |
| Mercy Medical Center Redding | 17 | $17,009 | About average | $14,849 | $131,673 |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center | 28 | $17,136 | About average | $15,926 | $106,396 |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | 14 | $17,244 | About average | $15,809 | $75,709 |
| Mercy San Juan Medical Center | 11 | $17,627 | About average | $16,262 | $132,284 |
| Community Hospital Of The Monterey Peninsula | 16 | $17,674 | About average | $16,239 | $99,534 |
| Marian Regional Medical Center | 13 | $17,712 | About average | $16,525 | $91,494 |
| Southern California Hospital At Hollywood | 33 | $17,741 | About average | $16,547 | $61,612 |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center | 14 | $17,810 | About average | $16,309 | $62,331 |
| Palomar Health Downtown Campus | 12 | $17,977 | 11% above the national average | $15,536 | $216,521 |
| Eden Medical Center | 11 | $18,097 | 12% above the national average | $16,903 | $131,821 |
| Community Regional Medical Center | 15 | $18,404 | 14% above the national average | $16,622 | $117,549 |
| Northridge Hospital Medical Center | 13 | $18,408 | 14% above the national average | $16,565 | $178,939 |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center | 11 | $18,747 | 16% above the national average | $16,435 | $54,055 |
| Riverside Community Hospital | 19 | $18,844 | 16% above the national average | $15,789 | $160,737 |
| MarinHealth Medical Center | 18 | $18,967 | 17% above the national average | $17,698 | $199,834 |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | 17 | $20,033 | 24% above the national average | $15,216 | $139,378 |
| John Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek Campus | 22 | $20,589 | 27% above the national average | $14,661 | $176,574 |
| Desert Regional Medical Center | 13 | $21,708 | 34% above the national average | $19,337 | $326,610 |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | 52 | $22,177 | 37% above the national average | $18,319 | $247,954 |
| Uci Health-Orange | 14 | $23,149 | 43% above the national average | $20,284 | $110,252 |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital | 18 | $23,934 | 48% above the national average | $17,498 | $165,263 |
| Dominican Hospital | 12 | $25,340 | 56% above the national average | $23,844 | $266,305 |
| Uci Health - Fountain Valley | 14 | $26,101 | 61% above the national average | $25,238 | $290,002 |
| Good Samaritan Hospital | 11 | $26,312 | 62% above the national average | $25,125 | $390,338 |
| University Of California Davis Medical Center | 27 | $30,791 | 90% above the national average | $25,465 | $200,920 |
| Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital & Trauma Center | 11 | $31,012 | 91% above the national average | $28,215 | $115,423 |
| UCSan Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Medical Center | 14 | $31,837 | 96% above the national average | $21,962 | $124,666 |
| UCSF Medical Center | 16 | $33,556 | 107% above the national average | $28,305 | $173,914 |
| Santa Clara Valley Medical Center | 18 | $35,568 | 119% above the national average | $33,471 | $151,974 |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla | 27 | $36,532 | 125% above the national average | $13,885 | $124,269 |
| Stanford Health Care | 20 | $41,325 | 155% above the national average | $25,564 | $316,547 |
National trend
Average payment and billed charge per stay, and how many Medicare stays were reported each year.
- Average payment
- Average billed charge
View data as a table
| Year of care | Average payment | Average billed charge |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $14K | $66K |
| 2021 | $15K | $73K |
| 2022 | $16K | $77K |
| 2023 | $16K | $81K |
| 2024 | $16K | $86K |
By state, 2024
Case-weighted average payment across each state’s reporting hospitals, lowest first.
Show all 49 states
| State | Hospitals | Cases | Average payment | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 1 | 12 | $6,304 | $6,304–$6,304 |
| Arkansas | 2 | 35 | $11,548 | $11,539–$11,586 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 51 | $11,748 | $11,409–$11,965 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 25 | $12,015 | $11,632–$12,639 |
| Colorado | 3 | 58 | $12,369 | $12,295–$12,436 |
| South Dakota | 1 | 12 | $13,041 | $13,041–$13,041 |
| Florida | 45 | 929 | $13,098 | $11,914–$13,853 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 111 | $13,345 | $11,732–$13,360 |
| Iowa | 5 | 100 | $13,404 | $10,770–$12,881 |
| Kansas | 6 | 144 | $13,437 | $11,902–$13,469 |
| Utah | 2 | 35 | $13,468 | $12,772–$14,452 |
| Montana | 1 | 13 | $13,490 | $13,490–$13,490 |
| Texas | 34 | 615 | $13,646 | $12,066–$15,023 |
| Ohio | 16 | 298 | $13,903 | $12,122–$15,349 |
| Missouri | 12 | 227 | $14,234 | $11,587–$15,860 |
| Idaho | 1 | 20 | $14,244 | $14,244–$14,244 |
| Kentucky | 5 | 84 | $14,367 | $11,509–$17,394 |
| Michigan | 15 | 241 | $14,472 | $13,724–$15,146 |
| Virginia | 14 | 260 | $14,531 | $11,832–$14,313 |
| Indiana | 9 | 182 | $14,538 | $12,343–$15,080 |
| Arizona | 8 | 130 | $14,614 | $12,180–$15,299 |
| South Carolina | 7 | 124 | $14,733 | $12,128–$16,499 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 40 | $14,816 | $14,455–$15,487 |
| Illinois | 21 | 408 | $14,955 | $11,896–$16,347 |
| Pennsylvania | 23 | 454 | $14,965 | $12,898–$16,135 |
| Minnesota | 12 | 210 | $15,100 | $12,774–$15,284 |
| Nevada | 8 | 146 | $15,154 | $13,852–$15,899 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 24 | $15,415 | $15,415–$15,415 |
| Delaware | 1 | 47 | $15,914 | $15,914–$15,914 |
| Tennessee | 13 | 272 | $15,936 | $12,583–$16,350 |
| Alabama | 5 | 86 | $16,185 | $12,075–$22,003 |
| New Hampshire | 5 | 69 | $16,342 | $12,484–$15,536 |
| Nebraska | 3 | 65 | $16,493 | $14,956–$18,351 |
| New Jersey | 17 | 313 | $16,689 | $15,114–$17,967 |
| North Carolina | 13 | 232 | $16,801 | $12,486–$17,308 |
| New Mexico | 1 | 13 | $17,054 | $17,054–$17,054 |
| Washington | 9 | 139 | $17,107 | $13,928–$18,397 |
| Wisconsin | 5 | 93 | $17,108 | $12,613–$17,503 |
| Maine | 1 | 23 | $17,294 | $17,294–$17,294 |
| Massachusetts | 19 | 438 | $17,340 | $13,660–$19,994 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 14 | $17,894 | $17,894–$17,894 |
| Connecticut | 6 | 104 | $18,607 | $17,236–$19,900 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 26 | $18,920 | $18,920–$18,920 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 17 | $19,114 | $19,114–$19,114 |
| Georgia | 9 | 176 | $19,572 | $13,634–$17,501 |
| New York | 30 | 776 | $20,711 | $15,418–$22,670 |
| Oregon | 2 | 24 | $20,780 | $18,009–$23,551 |
| California | 50 | 867 | $20,804 | $16,698–$22,060 |
| Maryland | 9 | 150 | $25,553 | $15,998–$34,725 |
About these numbers
Average payment is what Medicare paid plus the patient’s deductible and coinsurance (and any other insurer), averaged over the hospital’s Medicare cases. It covers the hospital’s part of the care; doctors bill separately. Billed charges are the hospital’s list prices, which few patients pay.
Medicare sets its payments by formula, adjusting for local wages, teaching programs, the share of low-income patients and unusually costly cases. Those adjustments drive most differences between hospitals, so a lower payment doesn’t mean better or worse care, and Medicare patients’ own costs usually vary much less than the totals. Private insurance pays different, usually higher, prices.
Source: CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service (Medicare fee-for-service claims). CMS omits hospitals with fewer than 11 stays. More in the glossary.